The present invention relates generally to a step or platform. More particularly, the invention relates to a portable step or platform which can be attached to a wheel or bumper of a vehicle to support a person.
Large vehicles such as trucks, tractors, semi-tractors, four-wheel drive vehicles, etc. tend to be extremely high off the ground making it difficult to access the engine compartment when necessary. An average size person must either stand on the vehicle bumper, a ladder, bench, box or similar object in order to access the engine compartment. Alternatively, the person must lay his body over the grill or quarter panel to support himself while reaching into the engine compartment. Each of these methods of accessing the engine compartment are generally impractical. Supports such as a ladder, box or bench are often not available and tend to be awkward and unreliable for support. For example, a box, bench or ladder has the tendency to overturn under the outward thrust of the person's feet when he is reaching far into the engine compartment.
Standing on the vehicle bumper tends to be less than satisfactory also in that the bumper is generally not of a sufficient width to allow for secure placement of the person's feet, nor of an adjustable height to allow for the most convenient access to the engine compartment by the user.
Attempts have been made to provide a vehicle-attached support platform which overcomes the above problems. These previous attempts have met with only limited success. For example, Hays, U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,916 discloses a wheel-attached step support. The step is vertically adjustable on a set of side supports. A pair of hooks rests over the vehicle wheel and is held in place by a pair of adjustable plates. The plates being adjustable threaded bars which screw into and out of the hook members. Hays also shows a bumper attachable embodiment of his step device in which the hooks are modified to allow them to attach over an upper edge of the bumper.
Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,378,678 shows another wheel-attached step support having hooks which attach over a wheel and a support frame which holds a step thereto.
Kelling, U.S. Pat. No. 3,078,952 also shows a vehicle wheel step. Kelling's device comprises hooks which can be adjusted to fit over a vehicle wheel and which hold a frame to which is attached an adjustable step.
Although each of these prior art devices includes portable steps and platforms which can be attached to a vehicle wheel or bumper, they have not completely solved the problems inherent in portable platforms of this type. The present invention specifically provides a secure and stable platform which remains in place even when being subjected to outward or sideways pressure by the user's feet when he is reaching into the engine compartment. Finally, the present invention is simple and compact in design and universally adaptable for use on a wide variety of shapes and sizes of vehicle wheels and bumpers. Further, the prior art devices have not completely successfully combined simplicity in design with structural strength and integrity, in the manner as has been achieved by the present invention, along with ease and convenience of adjustability for use on a wide variety of vehicles.